Materials
Free, standalone guides on music, instruments and theory — grouped by topic.
Jazz Piano — 53 guides
All 53 in Jazz Piano →Jazz piano for beginners: seventh chords, voicings, swing and your first tunes
A step-by-step start in jazz piano: the five seventh chords, shell and rootless voicings, the ii–V–I, swing feel, the blues scale, eight first standards and the pianists to listen to.
Wynton Kelly
Wynton Kelly (1931–1971), ranked #33 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the buoyant, swinging accompanist behind Miles Davis and Wes Montgomery — with essential recordings and scores to play.
Willie "The Lion" Smith
Willie "The Lion" Smith (1893–1973), ranked #48 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the flamboyant Harlem stride master and most harmonically daring of the superstriders — his life, style, essential recordings, and scores to play.
Tommy Flanagan
Tommy Flanagan (1930–2001), ranked #8 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list — jazz's most tasteful accompanist, from Coltrane's 'Giant Steps' to a celebrated trio career.
Thelonious Monk
Thelonious Monk (1917–1982), ranked #15 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the singular composer-pianist behind "'Round Midnight" and angular, swinging jazz — with scores to play.
Tete Montoliu
Tete Montoliu (1933–1997), ranked #21 in Gene Rizzo's greatest-jazz-pianists list: the blind Catalan bebopper who became Europe's premier jazz pianist — with essential recordings and scores to play.
All 53 in Jazz Piano → · 47 more
Piano — 18 guides
All 18 in Piano →Piano vs guitar vs ukulele: which is easier to learn first?
Piano, guitar or ukulele as a first instrument: one table of cost, the first month, time to a first song, portability, theory and styles, plus who should pick which.
How to connect a piano keyboard to a computer: USB, MIDI and Bluetooth
Connect a digital piano or MIDI keyboard by USB, a 5-pin MIDI interface or Bluetooth MIDI, with steps for Windows, macOS, iPad and Android, a fix for latency and a troubleshooting table.
Famous piano pieces: 15 classical works everyone knows
The 15 most famous classical piano pieces, from Für Elise and Clair de lune to La Campanella, with the composer, year, level and what each teaches, plus sheet music.
Piano chord progressions: the chart, the voicings and the songs
The piano chord progressions behind most songs, a chart of the chords in all 12 major and minor keys, and how to voice each one with two hands: left-hand roots, right-hand inversions and smooth voice leading.
Learning to play piano for free: a 10-step course map
A free piano course in ten steps, from the keyboard and reading notes to chords, scales and ear training: the short answer for each step, the free tool to practice it, the guide to read next and a rough time.
Best online piano lessons: 10 courses, apps and teachers for beginners
The ten best online piano lessons for beginners and adults, ranked: complete video courses, chord, technique and jazz courses, apps that listen, and a live teacher over video.
All 18 in Piano → · 12 more
Guitar — 9 guides
All 9 in Guitar →Guitar practice routine: a daily plan for 15, 30 or 45 minutes
A guitar practice routine in six fixed slots, tune, finger warm-up, chord changes, strumming, scales and fretboard notes, and a song, scaled to 15, 30 and 45 minutes, with a sample week.
How long does it take to learn guitar? Milestones from the first chord to the first solo
A realistic guitar timeline: sore fingertips and first chords, the G–C–D change, strumming, barre chords and solos, with a milestone table of skills and songs for each stage.
Guitar Chord Progressions: the Patterns Behind Most Songs
Chord progressions are numbers, not names — learn I–V–vi–IV once and you can play it in any key. The seven chords of the five guitar keys, the eight progressions worth memorizing, the songs that use them, and how to move any of them with a capo.
Barre Chords: the 8 Movable Shapes and How to Make Them Ring
A barre chord turns your index finger into a movable nut, so one shape gives you twelve chords. Here are the eight shapes that cover 96 chords, a fret-by-fret root chart for both root strings, and the fixes for every kind of buzz.
Guitar Chords: A Beginner's Guide
What a guitar chord is, how to read a chord diagram, and the eight essential open chords to learn first — each linked to an interactive finder where you can see the fingering and hear it.
Guitar string names
Learn the six guitar string names in order — E, A, D, G, B, E — why the numbering runs backwards, the standard tuning, and easy mnemonics to memorize them.
All 9 in Guitar → · 3 more
Scales & Keys — 7 guides
What is the chromatic scale?
Learn what the chromatic scale is: all 12 pitches an octave apart by half steps, why it has no home key, how to spell it up and down, and how to play it.
Melodic minor scale
Learn what the melodic minor scale is, how it raises the 6th and 7th ascending, why classical practice reverts descending, and the notes of A melodic minor.
The pentatonic scale, explained
What the pentatonic scale is, how to spell the major and minor versions, why dropping two notes makes it sound safe, and how to play one on the piano.
Key signatures, explained
What a key signature is, why it exists, the order of sharps and flats, and two quick tricks for naming the major key — and its relative minor — at a glance.
Major and minor scales: the difference
Major sounds bright, minor sounds shaded — and the difference is a handful of lowered notes. Learn to spell and hear it, plus the three minor scales.
Piano scales for beginners
Learn what piano scales are, why the major scale sounds bright, how to play C major with the right fingering, and a simple practice path to start today.
Circle of fifths
The one diagram that turns key signatures, related keys and chords into something you can reason about — the circle of fifths, explained.
Notation & Rhythm — 6 guides
Middle C
What middle C is, how to find it on the keyboard, its pitch and frequency (C4, ~261.63 Hz), and where it sits on the grand staff — with a quick reference table.
Note values, rests, and time signatures
Learn how rhythm is written: note values and rests, dots and ties, and how a time signature groups the beat into measures so you can count and play in time.
Piano keys and notes: a map of the keyboard
Name any key on sight: the repeating pattern of white and black keys, the black-key landmarks, octaves and middle C, and the sharps and flats.
The bass clef, explained
Read the bass clef with confidence: what the F clef marks, the line and space note names, where middle C sits, and a simple path to fluency.
The treble clef, explained
Read the treble clef with confidence: what the G clef is, name every line (E, G, B, D, F) and space (F, A, C, E), and find middle C below the staff.
How to read piano notes
Learn to connect notes on the page to keys on the piano: orient by the black-key groups, anchor on middle C, and turn any written note into the right key.
Intervals & Chords — 3 guides
How to recognize intervals by ear
A repeatable method for naming intervals by ear: pin each one to a familiar song, drill both directions daily, and beat the common mix-ups.
Music intervals, explained
What a musical interval is, how to count and name seconds through octaves, what major, minor, and perfect mean, and how to recognize each one by ear.
Piano chords for beginners
Learn how piano chords are built from stacked thirds, find the six essential beginner triads, and play your first chord progression with confidence.
Ukulele — 3 guides
How to tune a ukulele: GCEA notes, frequencies and three methods
Standard ukulele tuning is G, C, E, A with a high G. The notes and frequencies of every string, three ways to tune, low G and baritone DGBE, D tuning, pegs and new strings.
Ukulele for beginners: how to choose, hold, tune and play your first chords
A complete first guide to the ukulele: the four sizes, holding and tuning, how to read chord diagrams, the eleven first chords with frets, four strums, seven songs and a 4-week plan.
Ukulele songs for beginners: the 10 best to learn first
The ten best ukulele songs for beginners, ranked easiest first, with the chords each one needs (C, G, Am, F…), what it teaches your hands and a score for every song.